By Zach Jensen,
Iowa District 2 Congressional candidate Sarah Corkery spoke to both Republicans and Democrats Saturday morning at Club 45 in downtown Decorah. (Photo by Zach Jensen)
Sarah Corkery (D-Cedar Falls) is running against single-term incumbent U.S. Rep. Ashley Hinson (R-Marion) for Iowa’s District 2 seat in the U.S. House, and for two hours Saturday morning, the candidate answered the public’s questions at Club 45 — which serves as the Winneshiek County Republican Headquarters — in downtown Decorah.
“I’m very appreciative that Sarah was willing to come here and speak with us today,” said Thomas Hansen, Club 45’s manager, who invited Corkery to speak and introduced her to the audience of about 75 people. “It will just help us be a better society in the long run.”
Corkery said she’s running against Hinson because of three key setbacks she and her family has experienced, including the fact that she’s survived breast cancer, gave birth to a blind child, and her sister died at age 48 due to an immune disorder.
“I’m going to try to make this world a better place just in case we’re living on a day borrowed,’” Corkery said. “And, for me, that means running for office, putting policies in place that make this world better for the next folks, to be sure we save some money and don’t spend it into the ground to make sure our next generations have it a little bit better off than we have it. I say ‘Smart people plant trees they know they won’t sit under.’ So, we need to do that for our environment, for our economy — for the good of the next generation. That is not a fun story. We’ve had a lot of setbacks in our lives, and we don’t use them as excuses to put our head in the sand — we use them as reasons to get up the next day and try a little harder — to make sure it’s a little better for the next guy.”
Corkery, a mother of three school-aged children, said her religion is kindness.
“If we can help someone, we do,” she said. “If we can stand up for someone, we do. I believe, philosophically, Democrats put safety nets in place, because we believe a bad day might happen. There might be a day when you get cancer, or you go bankrupt, or you lose your job or whatever, and we need some safety nets in place. My mom said, ‘If you care about people, you make sure you take care of people,’ and that is the fundamental belief of my being a Democrat.”
Before the floor was opened to questions, Corkery said she was thrilled to be in Decorah and admitted that appearing in Club 45 was a bit different than most of her campaign stops.
“I’ve never stood in front of a ‘Let’s Go Brandon’ sign,” she said. “We are all here together, right now, so let’s make the most of it. I’m not here to change anyone’s mind. I’m here to tell you what I think and tell you what I believe, and hopefully, we find a little common ground, or at least let’s have a little fun, because I think fun and joy is what’s going to bring people back to politics, and I think that’s what’s happening in the Democratic party and all over.”
Read the full article in the September 5 Decorah Leader covering Corkery’s comments on the following:
Abortion and IVF
Illegal voters, illegal immigration
Ethanol
Ukraine aid, gun rights
Separation of church and state
Taxes
Hansen said Club 45 hasn’t yet heard back from Hinson’s campaign on whether she’ll make a public appearance at the local Republican headquarters. Additionally, Corkery announced that Iowa Public Television has offered to host a televised debate between herself and Hinson — a date for which has not yet been scheduled.
Full article in the September 5 Decorah Leader.
Submit A Comment
Fill out the form to submit a comment. All comments require approval by our staff before it is displayed on the website.